Flight 229
by Silver and White
Summary: What if another plane crashed when the button wasn't pushed? Yeah... you get it. OC characters, don't hate. Read and Review!
1. Just Another Day

Disclaimer: I do not own Lost. Or the plots. Or the characters. Or the cast. Wish I did, but I don't.

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Okay, to those of you that don't like OC stories, don't waste my time unless you've got something meaningful to say. To those that aren't against OC stories and have some critique for me, I will gladly take any advice you have. And to those of you who just plainly like my story, I would appreciate reviews. :) mmmkay?

This chapter is short, but I promise the next will be longer.

-Silver and White

* * *

Just Another Day

Amelia's eyes fluttered open. Her beautiful, perfectly shaped face held an expression of weariness. Luscious lips and gorgeous auburn hair gave her the perfect model look, though she was far from a model. Her green eyes, however stunning they were, held an angry, cold, and distant look in them. The years had made her hard.

Amelia groaned inwardly as she realized her sleep was disturbed by a shrieking young boy. The boy was throwing a fit because of the stewardess, who was quite unsure of what to do. The boy's mother had apparently gone to the bathroom. When the boy continued, Amelia, who happened to be seated in the row beside his row, turned to the boy with annoyed malevolence.

"Look, kid," she growled. "Keep whining and you'll end up with problems much bigger than a stewardess." The boy shut up immediately, staring at Amelia with wide eyes. The bewildered stewardess took the moment to hurry away, before the spoiled child could have another temper tantrum.

Amelia sat back, satisfied. The other passengers seemed to be relieved as well. For a while, everything seemed to be alright. Just another flight. Just another day. That is until…

BAM! The plane seemed to collide into some invisible wall and suddenly it was plummeting to the Earth. Amelia felt a sense of panic as all the stewardesses rushed to find seats. She felt the sickly feeling of descending too quickly and the plane began to shake vigorously. Amelia reached out almost blindly as the oxygen masks were dropped.

_It'll be okay_, she thought frantically. _It's just turbulence. Just another flight. Just another day…_

It was her last thought before the plane crashed onto the earth. Onto an island the passengers would wish they'd never laid eyes upon.


	2. So Few

So Few

Cliff stood before the ocean, staring in wide-eyed disbelief. _It's a dream_, he though desperately. _A horrible nightmare. I'll wake up any minute now._ But Cliff new by his own awareness of his surroundings that he was not dreaming. It was real. The plane had crashed.

He looked behind him to see who else was coming to realize their terrible situation. His eyes locked on a child first, a boy. The boy was wailing, quite oblivious to the fires and hazards around him. As Cliff's eyes wandered upward, his heart jumped nearly out of his chest. A piece of plane wreckage was hanging precariously over the boy, and was threatening to give away.

Without thinking of his own safety, he darted toward the boy, shouting frantically. It only made the boy cry harder. Cliff was finally at his side and, as he reached out for the boy, he heard the wreckage above begin to creak and moan. Dread flooded his veins as he snapped his head up, watching the piece of plane begin to fall. Quickly grabbing the boy, he fled and escaped just in time as the wreckage finally hit the sand.

Cliff let the wriggling boy go, as he stood motionless, waiting for his mind to catch up with what was taking place. He raised his striking gray-blue eyes to the blazing Sun. His chocolate colored hair was thin and short. He had a bit of "bad boy stubble" on his chin and the sides of his face, which was far from true to his personality. Decent sized muscles built his legs and arms; not so big that it was disgusting, just enough to be clearly visible.

"This is fucked up, man," said a stranger close behind. Cliff turned to see a black man, no older than twenty-five. His hair was braided into "corn rows". He had a business suit on, which looked slightly odd on him. The man looked around, shaking his head. "Planes are safer than cars my fuckin' ass."

"Yeah," Cliff said quietly, scanning the beach. "It's pretty messed up." Cliff noticed a woman, a rather beautiful woman, behind a piece of wreckage. She was struggling to get up and Cliff was about to go to her, when he noticed a tall, slim man approaching her already.

"The name's Giles, by the way," the black man, Giles, spoke again. Cliff glanced at him.

"I'm Cliff. Cliff Holden." When there was a scream from underneath a piece of the plane, both men went rushing to help.

* * *

Meanwhile, Amelia, breathless, tried to get her shaky legs and arms to pull her away from the wreckage. A tall man appeared before her. She looked up and her eyes blazed when she saw that he had a hand extended toward her. "I don't need your pity," she spat.

"It's not pity," the man replied, flustered. He had a southern accent. It sounded like one from Tennessee. "I'm just trying to help you."

"If I had everyone help me in my life, I wouldn't be alive and strong, as I am now."

"Look, it couldn't hurt to be helped up off the ground," the man said, angering. His hand remained in front of Amelia's face. Amelia's teeth were grit together now.

"If I wanted help from a Hillbilly," she growled, "I think I'd ask for it." At this, the man pulled his hand away, his face beginning to burn red in rage.

"I'm not a Hillbilly, my name is Todd!" he shouted. "And you won't ever speak to me like that, you hear? You're a woman for God's sake!"

Amelia ignored his sexist comment and said, "You got anger issues, Todd?" Todd faltered at this and then stormed away. When he was gone, Amelia again struggled to get herself up. The task was strenuous; her legs didn't seem to want to respond to her subconscious commands. She faintly remembered hearing about inactive motor functions caused by shock. She also remembered hearing that it wore off, which she was relieved for.

_Maybe I should have just let the Hillbilly help me like his mama raised him to_, she thought bitterly. But at last, Amelia was able to lift herself. She began to walk slowly and she could feel herself gaining control over her body again. When she noticed a teenage girl struggling to break free of some rubble. Before going to help her, Amelia scanned the debris of the plane. _What a mess._

As soon as Amelia reached the girl, she could see pain and distress the young girl's eyes. Amelia immediately knew the girl must be injured somewhere. The girl was struggling to escape, tears sliding silently down her cheeks.

"Hang on, I'm gonna get you out of here," Amelia assured her. "What's your name?" The girl was silent. "Come on, tell me, you'll be fine." Still the girl wouldn't speak. At this point, Amelia was annoyed. "I'm just gonna call you Kid, alright?"

The girl, "Kid", nodded. "Alright, Kid, now I need you to tell me if you can move either of your hands beneath that wreckage. Kid paused, tried, and nodded when she found that her right hand was not trapped. "Good. Now I need you to show me where you feel the most pain."

Kid placed her hand on her right side right away. Amelia glanced at Kid's face before crouching down and looking for anything out of place. Her heart sank when she saw a shard of metal stuck in Kid's side. Amelia wasn't sure whether she should pull it from the girl's side or not. Would it cause any more damage than there already was?

But Amelia decided she couldn't just leave the girl there, so she explained to Kid what she was going to do. "Ready? One…two…" Before she got to "three", she yanked the scrap of metal from Kid, who cried out in surprise and pain. Once Amelia moved that piece, the other pieces fell to the ground. Kid nearly collapsed, the breath stolen from her.

Amelia quickly steadied her and led her to where she had seen other survivors. "Is anyone here a doctor?" she shouted when people came into view.

A man with wavy, blonde hair and an Irish accent yelled, "My sister was a doctor and I picked up a few things from her. I reckon that's good enough, yeah?"

"It'll do," Amelia replied. The Kid was trembling slightly as Amelia lowered her to the ground. The Irish man finally reached them and Amelia noticed the annoying little boy following him. She glowered and the little boy obviously recognized her too, for he stuck close to the Irish man. As soon as the man saw Kid's bloody gash, he faltered.

"That'll need stitches," he mumbled.

"So hop to it," Amelia retorted. He threw his head back at her to look at her incredulously.

"I don't have the supplies!"

"I do," said a dark haired woman behind Amelia. The woman plopped a suitcase down and fumbled inside for her sewing material. "Here." She handed them to Amelia, who thrust them toward the Irish man. He took them and quickly moved to Kid's side.

"This is going to hurt quite a bit, alright?" the man said, looking into the teen's eyes. Kid said nothing. "What's her name?"

"Just call her Kid," Amelia said. The man threw Amelia another incredulous look.

"I'm sure she'd rather me call her an actual name. Wouldn't you rather be called by _your_ name?"

"Oh?" Amelia retorted. "And what exactly is _your_ name?"

"Collin," he stated. He turned back to the girl. "So does she talk?"

"If she talked, don't you think I'd be calling her by her real name?"

"Could you spell your name out for me in the sand?" Collin asked the teen kindly. She hesitantly placed her finger in the sand and wrote "Emma". Collin smiled. "Her name is Emma."

"Whatever," Amelia said, with a roll of her eyes. As soon as Collin began, Emma whimpered in pain and slight fright.

"My name's Beth, by the way," the dark haired woman said to Amelia, extending a hand. Amelia reluctantly shook hands.

"I'm Amelia," she muttered.

"This all so terrible, isn't it?" Beth said, scanning the beach. "I nearly died. I would have too, if those two young men hadn't come and pulled me out from the wreckage. I wonder where they got off to." At this, Amelia's curiosity was roused.

"They went away from here?"

"Well, I don't exactly know. One of them gestured to the other to follow him and they left. Then I saw you three, so I came to you."

"Did you see anyone else?" Amelia questioned.

"Another man looking through the luggage. But no one else." Amelia looked away.

"Only eight survivors?" she whispered, though her eyes didn't show much remorse. She'd begun to stop caring long ago.

"Well this _is_ a plane crash," Beth reminded her. "There are bound to be few survivors." But Amelia wasn't listening anymore. Two men were rushing toward the group. One was black, in a business suit. The other was holding a radio. Amelia was at his side straight away, hope stirring in her dead veins.

"Did you call for help yet?" she demanded. The man shook his head, his wondrous blue eyes full of despair.

"We tried. It didn't work."

"Well they should be sending rescue soon, right?" Beth inquired hopefully. When the two men hesitated, Amelia's heart fell.

"I'm a pilot," Cliff said. "I didn't fly this particular flight, but I know a lot about turbulence. Something stronger than turbulence sent us crashing down. We were miles off course when we crashed. They won't know where to look."

"So we're stuck here," Amelia stated flatly. Cliff nodded slowly.

"We at least have to hope," Beth said.

"Hope?" Collin repeated, getting to his feet. He had finished fixing up Emma's side. "Are you mad? What hope is there if the radio doesn't work and they don't know where to find us?"

"_Someone's_ got to find us," Beth insisted.

"It's time to be realistic," Collin said. Todd, the southern man that Amelia had met, was approaching the group and he immediately decided he didn't like Collin's authority.

"If we're going to survive any longer than today," Cliff spoke up, "we have to search the plane for the emergency food, and any other food that might be on board." Collin nodded.

"Good-" Collin was cut off by a terrible roar. The trees began to shake and the ground vibrated slightly. Then, as quickly as it came, it was gone. For a moment, no one could speak. They all stood, terrified, awe-stricken.

"Shit," Giles said at last.

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Reviews would be lovely. :)

-Silver and White


	3. Tomorrow

98 hits and only 3 reviews? Come on people.

To those who did review…

Blue-Rose-Soul: Oh? Well, being a fan of stuff like that, I'll have to check it out. :) And I'm glad you liked my story so far:)

garnet1989: Thank you:)

SupernaturalKnight88: Yes, they're on the other side of the island. I'm not sure if I'm going to have them meet with the original cast or not… still deciding. Thank you for reviewing and I'm glad you like the story:)

Hope you enjoy!

-Silver and White

* * *

Tomorrow

Amelia, sighing, glanced over at the little boy, her eyes immediately filling with resentment. "So who wants the kid?" she asked, looking around at everyone. Todd, the southern man, and Giles, the black man, both shook their heads immediately. The little boy, Mathew, was silent. His mother had been killed in the plane crash.

"I'm sure we could all pitch in," Collin suggested with a shrug. The others didn't look very happy at the thought of taking care of the boy, except for maybe Cliff, but they all agreed that it was the best they could do. Emma stared at Mathew as he sat silently, his head drooped with loss and misery. Her eyes narrowed as she tried to summon a memory of hers. Then she looked away.

"Well you can count me out," Amelia spoke suddenly. "I'm not taking care of any toddlers."

"Amelia, he's not even a toddler," Collin said exasperatedly.

"Sure does act like one," Amelia shrugged. Collin's eyebrows furrowed in frustration.

"He just lost his mother, Amelia," he growled. "Show a little sympathy, would ya'? I mean, come on, surely you lost someone special? Surely you know how it feels?" Amelia's smirk slowly faded and her eyes glazed over as she recalled a very unpleasant memory…

_"This is all your fault, Amelia!" an outraged woman screamed. Amelia glared at her fiancé's mother. Her soon to be mother in law._

_"And how exactly is this my fault?" she growled. "The roads were icy. I can't prevent the weather."_

_"I told you to stay at my house! I told you that you and Brian should stay! And because you didn't listen, Brian, my dear son, is in the hospital because your car slid off the road!" At this, Amelia rose to her feet, anger coursing through her veins. _

_"I wanted to leave because you just couldn't stop nagging about me, could you?" Brian's mother was taken aback._

_"Amelia, I wasn't-"_

_"Don't even try! Alright? You know perfectly well that you were finding every little flaw in me, trying to convince Brian that I wasn't the one for him. You hate me, we both know it. You just can't stand to lose your little boy, can you! You can't stand to see us together. Well Brian can't stay with you forever!" Brian's mother just stared. Amelia stood over her, shaking with rage and worry._

_The doctor walked toward them. His expression immediately made Amelia's heart drop. "He's gonna make it," Amelia said hopefully. "Right, doctor?"_

_"I'm afraid that your fiancé was bleeding too much internally. We couldn't stop the bleeding in time, and he had lost way too much blood by the time we were able to operate and… I'm sorry, but we weren't able to save him." Amelia's eyes went wide with horror and pain._

"What do you think? Amelia? Amelia!" Amelia snapped out of her memory and looked over at Beth.

"What?" she snapped, half angry at Beth and half angry at the bitter memory.

"What do you think about searching for help?" Beth repeated.

"Are you kidding? Judging by what we've seen and our own terrible luck, this island's probably deserted."

"Well we can't just wait here for nothing," Todd insisted.

"We might even find a more suitable place to reside," Cliff pointed out. Beth shook her head frantically at this.

"No," she said. "No, we can't live anywhere else, what if help comes?"

"Give it up, Beth," Amelia growled in mere annoyance. "No one's coming, get over it. Now's the time to live or die."

"And what makes that decision, Amelia?" Collin inquired with feigning innocence. Amelia stared at him.

"Your own will to survive." The group fell silent for a moment. The fire in the middle of them, which they'd managed to create, crackled into the crisp night air.

"Well, I sure as hell wanna survive," Giles spoke finally. Todd was about to reply, when there was suddenly a rustle of bushes from the jungle. He quickly picked up a flashlight they had found in an emergency kit and flashed it in the direction of the noise. Emma froze and Mathew looked up suddenly. Nothing happened.

"In a jungle, there's bound to be animals, dumb ass," Amelia said, her eyes locked on Todd. "Get a grip and stop being a little baby." Todd turned off the flashlight and the others calmed. But Todd then stood angrily, glaring down at Amelia.

"I'm tired of you and your mouth!" he shouted. Collin stood next to him.

"Todd, easy, why don't you-"

"Shut up!" he shouted back at Collin.

"Todd, I think Amelia was just annoyed because of the situation we're in," Cliff said gently. "She didn't mean what she said." Amelia was about to reply, but thought better of it. She wasn't afraid of Todd, she could take him. But she knew that it would get them nowhere, so she was silent. Todd stared, calmed, and eventually sat back down.

They were silent again, so Cliff passed out the meals they had found on the plane. They all began eating, with the exception of Emma. "Not hungry?" Beth inquired kindly. Amelia lifted her head and looked at Emma.

"Come on, you need to eat, Kid," she said. Emma looked up and Amelia saw something in Emma's eye that gave her some sort of sign. "Is something wrong with it?" Emma lifted the package in front of Amelia's face pointing to something on the ingredients label. "Peanut oil," Amelia stated. "You allergic?"

When Emma nodded, Amelia said, "How about a trade then?" Emma nodded and they traded meals. Collin had watched this and now he stared at Emma.

"Why don't you just talk, Emma?" he questioned. She looked up and stared at him.

"She doesn't have to talk if she doesn't want to," Amelia said suddenly, in Emma's defense.

"So you're defending people now?" Collin said to Amelia.

"Is that a problem? I thought you'd be proud." Collin laughed in a somewhat scoffing manner.

"What is it with you?" he asked. "Can't you just stand peace for once?" Amelia grinned, her familiar sense of wry humor kicking in.

"Now, where's the fun in that?" Everyone one turned to Amelia and her grin grew wider. Cliff found himself chuckling to himself, though the rest of the survivors were not amused. They all headed off to "bed" later that night, using the plane's wreckage and their own supplies to make tents and sleeping bags.

Mathew was afraid of being alone in the night and resided near Collin. Everyone else, while keeping relatively close to one another, slept on their own. As Amelia was getting settled, Cliff approached. "Hope you haven't come to put me in timeout," Amelia said swiftly.

"Not really," Cliff replied with a smile. "I was just wondering if you'll be one of the ones to go out searching tomorrow. Not everyone will be able to go."

"You actually think we'll find help out there?"

"Well, no," Cliff admitted. "I was actually hoping to find a cool, shaded place, perhaps with fresh water, that we could reside in." Amelia grinned.

"Sounds like paradise. So are you the noble leader of the group or something?"

"I don't consider myself a leader. I'm not trying to lead this search, I was just hoping I could organize something by tomorrow."

"Hm," Amelia responded. "Well you can count me in. I would have gone even if you didn't let me." Cliff nodded.

"That's good," he said. "Now we have all the people we need for tomorrow."

"Why, how many did you need?"

"I was hoping to get four, that way we could split up into two groups of two. I got Collin to come, as I expected he would. Todd immediately refused."

"Coward," Amelia muttered under her breath. Cliff continued.

"Beth said she would stay with Mathew because he obviously can't come along. And Giles said he would also stay to watch out for Beth and Mathew."

"That means there's only three of us that's going," Amelia said with a frown. Cliff shook his head.

"You're forgetting Emma."

"You're letting a teenager that doesn't speak come along with us?" Amelia asked incredulously.

"Why not?" Cliff shrugged. "She seems intelligent and physically fit."

"How can you tell if she's intelligent or not? _She doesn't talk_."

"It's just one of those things that you know without words." With that, Cliff said goodnight to Amelia and left. She watched him walk off and strangely, another haunting memory came to her…

_Amelia trembled as she stood over Brian's dead body. She had requested to see him one last time. She now regretted it, for he was bloody and didn't look peaceful at all. She looked away and willed the tears to stop, though they ignored her. _

_Then, as if by instinct, she placed a hand on her belly. Her belly was still slim, though she could feel the slight curve that would soon grow as the life inside it grew. "A baby with no father," she whispered bitterly. Then, with a new resolution, she turned away from her dead fiancé and walked out of the room. "A baby with no future."

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_

Review pleeeeeeease. :)


	4. Patience

Blue-Rose-Soul: Yeah, it's so horrible when stuff like that happens to people. Thank you for reviewing. :)

TotallyLost: Thank you very much! I have also, unfortunately, come across stories where all the characters are pretty much the same. And you'll see later on (probably in the next chapter) whether she's still pregnant or not. Again, thank you. :)

-Silver and White

* * *

Patience

"Come on, Kid, you're slackin'," Amelia called back.

"You could go a bit easier on her," Collin said. Amelia scowled at him.

"Look. She doesn't seem to mind, so if I were you, I'd just shut it and mind my own damn business." Collin stepped forward. He wasn't going to give in to her anger so easily.

"Her name is Emma."

"And I call her Kid."

"She doesn't like it."

"She doesn't care."

"Stop it, both of you," Cliff said wearily, getting to his feet. "Collin, it's just a nickname, nothing more. And Amelia… stop picking fights with Collin." Cliff sat again. Collin grumbled but stalked off. Amelia, however, stared at Cliff.

When Collin had left, Amelia said, "It's interesting how you say you're not a leader and yet you act like you're in charge here." Cliff shrugged.

"I've noticed that you take charge quite a bit here too. I'm just trying to make peace."

"Oh, not you too," Amelia grumbled.

"Sorry," Cliff said with a smile.

"Yo, Amelia!" Giles announced from behind. Amelia turned to Giles and smiled both slyly and pleasantly, if there is such a combination. Giles was one of the few people on the island that Amelia didn't mind. "I know you're all tough and all and you don't need to hear this, but I want you to try and be careful out there, okay?"

"Of course," Amelia answered with a grin. Giles turned to Cliff.

"And you too, Cliff. Watch your back." Cliff nodded, giving Giles a friendly smile.

"Alright, cool," Giles said, satisfied. "Cause, you know, I don't want anyone coming back dead or some shit like that. My poor, fucked up mind can't handle nothin' like that."

"Yes, do be careful," Beth said, coming from behind Giles. Young Mathew was behind her.

"Don't worry about us," Amelia said. "You need to worry about yourselves. Who knows, you may end up in more danger than us." Giles and Beth glanced at one another. Amelia's words were not comforting. But then again, she wasn't trying to comfort them, she was trying to warn them. Collin abruptedly walked up with Emma trailing along behind him.

"We should go now," Collin said. Cliff nodded. Amelia stared and then turned to go. Collin found himself glowering as he followed her into the jungle, Cliff and Emma close behind. They walked for quite some time, and in silence. Cliff was the one who finally stopped and spoke.

"We should split up here. What shall our groups be?"

"I'll be with anyone, as long as it's not big and bad Collin, here," Amelia said at once. Collin shook his head at her childish remark. Amelia caught the gesture and said, "Look, buddy, it's not my fault you think you're too cool for school."

"Me? Listen to you, with all your sarcastic remarks!"

"Enough," Cliff said, not angrily but firmly. "Amelia, who do you want to go with?"

"I'll take Emma," Amelia replied coolly. "At least she won't talk like she knows everything all the time. Not like you," she said, suddenly glaring at Collin. Amelia turned her heel and began to walk off and Emma uncertainly followed her. After a few moments, Collin turned to Cliff.

"How can you be so kind to her," he asked. "You always talk to her with kindness and patience, but she never gives it back." Cliff shrugged.

"I guess after a while, you get used to being patient with people." Collin sighed and shrugged, and then continued on their journey. Cliff watched him go for a moment before slowly following. His thoughts, however, were elsewhere…

* * *

_"Cliff!" Cliff turned to see a young woman, in her early twenties, approach with a delighted smile on her face. He looked delighted too, though there was something in his eyes that wasn't quite the same as the woman's own eyes. They hugged as they finally reached each other._

_"It's good to see you, Alyssa," he nodded. _

_"Oh, Cliff, it feels like a year has gone by since the last time I saw you."_

_"Alyssa, it's only been a week," Cliff chuckled. Alyssa looked down, suddenly embarrassed. _

_"Yes, but if felt so much longer than that…Because I wasn't with you." Cliff's smile faltered noticeably. Then Cliff's watch beeped. He lifted it to his face and then looked quickly back at Alyssa. _

_"Alyssa, I do apologize, but I must see to a patient," he said hurriedly. "I'll see you later." He began to rush away and Alyssa seemed to grow a bit frantic._

_"When will I see you again?" she cried._

_"Soon," Cliff called back. He paused, slowed his steps… but then he shook his head and continued on. When he reached his office, his patient, Stanley, was already waiting on him. _

_"You're late," Stanley said with an odd twitch of his head. _

_"I'm so sorry, Stanley, I got held up," Cliff apologized, shaking Stanley's hand, which also twitched for a moment or two. _

_"I think my wife might be leaving me," Stanley said solemnly. _

_"Well, you've said that many times before, Stanley, so-"_

_"Fuck! Wh-whop!"_

_"Let's go through the reasons why you think she's leaving you this time," Cliff finished calmly._

_"I'm sure of it, Doctor," Stanley said quietly. "She said so herself that she was thinking about it. She can't take the Tourette's anymore. She tried to- AH!- understand… but in the end, she was embarrassed of me. And I just turned to another one of those weird guys." Cliff's eyes held sympathy._

_"You're not weird, Stanley. Let's talk about it in my office, shall we?" The two of them walked in the room.

* * *

_

Meanwhile, Amelia looked up to see a grassy hill in front of them. It was beautiful and green. It kind of made Amelia want to puke. She glanced behind her to make sure Emma was still there, which she was. Amelia sighed and found, surprisingly, that she was becoming a little annoyed at Emma's silence.

"You know, I never realized that you can be driven to insanity just as easily with silence as you can with noise," she called back to Emma. Emma blinked gently and stared up at Amelia. Amelia sighed in a rushed manner, defeated. "Whatever. Let's just-"

Amelia was cut off by a loud, low rumble. Emma's eyes widened and she began to tremble. Amelia grew frightened as well, though she did her best not to show it. "What the hell was that?" she asked, hardly expecting an answer. Emma, too terrified even to shrug, merely stood frozen. "Let's get out of here."

They turned to go back, when there was suddenly a loud crash in front of them, and earth flew up nearly ten feet into the air. Amelia jumped back and Emma, panicked, ran the opposite direction. Amelia looked back to see her running over the hill. She chased after her and began to notice that the earth was beginning to quake.

"Kid!" Amelia cried. Emma was running blindly, the whole situation causing her to lose all sense of thought. But when the trees before her suddenly began to sway and shake and she heard a loud, mechanical roar, she froze in terror. The earth seemed to shake beneath her feet and it appeared as though something enormous was coming through the trees, and toward them. Emma screamed, which almost scared Amelia. She'd never heard more than a small whimper from the girl.

Amelia ran straight up to Emma and covered Emma's mouth with her hand. It seemed to shut her up. They both watched in wide-eyed horror as something fifty times their height moved through the jungle. Then, gradually, the noise died down and the trees began to stop swaying. Amelia and Emma just stood there; the only sound daring to escape them was their own heartbeats. Then Amelia began to back away, dragging Emma with her.

When it was apparent that whatever they had just encountered wasn't coming back, at least not for a while, Amelia slowly lifted her hand from Emma's mouth and stopped moving. "Ready to go back to the beach?" she asked. Emma nodded frantically and the two of them fled to the one place they felt was safe.

* * *

Collin stopped in his tracks. He listened. He laughed with joy. Cliff, trailing close behind, looked up. Collin glanced back at him, a wide grin on his face. "Listen," he said. Cliff stopped and listened. His eyes grew bright. 

"Water," he stated. Collin's reply was a delighted laugh and he dashed forward, toward the sound. Cliff grinned and ran to the sound as well. Soon, the two men had reached a wide stream. Collin dived down and scooped up the fresh water with his hands, bringing it to his dry lips. Cliff stood in the middle of the stream, laughing as the cool, smooth water rushed past his legs.

Finally, Collin sat back, resting. He let out a satisfied breath and then looked over at Cliff. "Perhaps we're not as unfortunate as I thought," he said. Cliff shrugged.

"I'm sure some stroke of luck would have come our way at some point."

Collin looked at him incredulously and scoffed before saying, "We're on a bloody island, man. We're stranded on a bloody island and we're probably not getting rescued because caught we crashed miles off course! And you expected a 'stroke of luck'?" Cliff nodded, grinning slightly. Collin shook his head in amazement and looked away. "Patience really is in your nature." Cliff looked away, his eyes suddenly remorseful…

* * *

_Alyssa sat, feeling awkward and willing herself to make conversation. Cliff merely waited patiently. At last, Alyssa said, "So, Dr. Walden, how have you been?" Cliff smiled pleasantly._

_"I've been alright, Alyssa. And you?"_

_"I… I've been… well enough." By her tone, Cliff knew that she wasn't even close to being well._

_"Why don't you tell me about your week?" he suggested, casually letting her do most of the talking._

_"Well… there's nothing much to tell really. I was at my sister's house for most of the time."_

_"Visiting?" Cliff asked, knowing full well that her sister had been taking care of her. Alyssa nodded slowly, lying. "And how was that?" Alyssa's eyes drifted downward._

_"Well, for the most part it was okay… but one day I stopped…_

_"Stopped taking your antidepressants?" Cliff offered kindly. _

_"I don't like taking them," Alyssa cried suddenly. "I don't need them."_

_"Of course you don't Alyssa. It is simply recommended that you take them. Just to help you out a little." Alyssa nodded, though her eyes were solemn and bitter. When the session finally ended, Cliff walked over to open the door for Alyssa. "I'll see you next week, Alyssa."_

_But Alyssa didn't move. She stood in front of him, gazing into his eyes with both love and a fearful, hidden doubt. "Alyssa, what are you-" She cut him off with a kiss. When she didn't pull away, Cliff pushed her away, not aggressively but firmly. "Alyssa, I don't… We're not…"_

_Alyssa nodded and quickly looked down, trying to hide the oncoming tears. "I… I'll just… I'll have them assign someone else to me." Cliff looked down on Alyssa both curiously and sympathetically. He blocked her exit. _

_"Alyssa, just because we can't be together in a relationship, it doesn't mean I can't still be your psychiatrist." Alyssa raised her eyes to his. Her eyes were hurt and miserable, but there was hope now too, for she wouldn't completely lose him. Cliff gave her a soft smile. "I'll see you next week." Alyssa nodded and left, leaving Cliff to stand there, shaking his head in disbelief…

* * *

_

"I reckon we should get back to the beach, yeah?" Collin said suddenly, rousing Cliff.

"Sure, if you're done here," Cliff shrugged. Collin nodded.

"We found what we were looking for."

"Well, not exactly," Cliff reminded him. "Our goal was supposed to be to find other people." Collin scoffed.

"Fat chance that'll happen. Come on, let's go." Cliff glanced back at the stream, wondering where the hell this island was and why it was so strange. Then he chased after Collin, who had already begun heading back to the beach.

* * *

Reviews would be lovely... :) 

-Silver and White


	5. A Leader

**SupernaturalKnight88: Thank you :)**

**TotallyLost: Thank you very much! I haven't decided yet on whether they're going to meet the original castaways… If they do it will be a lot further on into the story. Thanks again :)**

* * *

A Leader

Amelia raised her eyes to Emma, who was sitting in front of her. Emma was still shaking; the incident with the Island Monster had left her terrified. Amelia let out a breath in a somewhat frustrated manner. She was not happy with herself for showing such cowardice and simply fleeing after they'd heard the Island Monster. Her arrogant, proud mind couldn't comprehend that she could have been killed, had she not fled.

However, when she looked over and saw Cliff and Collin, this shame vanished and reality stepped in. Collin frowned when he saw them. He hadn't expected to see them on the beach before they got there. "So what did you find?" he asked, almost disappointedly, for he thought she had found something and had hoped she wouldn't find anything at all.

Amelia faltered but, defeated, sighed and said, "Nothing." The back of Collin's mind was laughing with joy, but Collin's face contorted in anger.

"Nothing?" he repeated.

"What, do I have to spell it out for you?"

"How could you find nothing?" Collin cried, while Cliff tried to calm him down. "I don't even think you tried." Amelia shook her head and scoffed.

"Contradictory to your thoughts, we _did_ try. But as soon as we started trying, we were almost killed." At this, Collin's face fell and his anger quickly vanished. Cliff suddenly looked concerned.

"What happened?" Cliff inquired.

"We were nearly eaten by a monster is what happened," Amelia spat, and as she recalled the terrifying event, her eyes flickered with a child-like fear that only Cliff could see. He had seen it many times before in his patients. Cliff shuffled a little uncertainly, unsure of whether Amelia had imagined it or not. But then Collin abruptly burst out laughing.

"You've got to be bloody joking!" he said. "That or completely out of your mind."

"Look, I'm not the only one who saw it," Amelia said defensively. "Emma saw it too. I have never believed in monsters, no, not even when I was a child. But this… there's no other way of describing this." Collin stared with frustration, unsure of whether he believed her or not. Cliff was looking at Emma for some sort of sign, but she just remained in her shocked, terrified state.

"Emma, is this true?" Collin asked before Cliff could utter even a word.

"Oh, shut up, Collin," Amelia snarled. "You know she won't say anything."

"Well she has to at some point!"

"And who gets to decide that? You? You talk to everyone around here like some dictator. I mean, I know I'm a bitch, but at least I'm not going around trying to screw with people's lives. But you… You _expect_ people to follow in your footsteps."

Collin just stared as Amelia marched off, gesturing for Emma to follow. As Collin watched them walk off, Cliff stared at him. "Are you alright?" Cliff asked him. Collin didn't answer for a moment, but then turned his head slightly in Cliff's direction.

"In a situation like this, shouldn't you be asking Amelia that?" he said quietly.

"Perhaps in some cases," Cliff replied. "But you seem the most upset right now." Collin looked away.

Barely audible, he mumbled, "I'm fine."

* * *

_"Are you alright, Collin?" a young woman asked. Collin looked up. He sat at the far end of a bench outside a church. He blinked slowly for a moment._

_Then he replied, "What a funny question to ask at a funeral." The young woman sighed and sat beside him._

_"You're not the only one that lost a brother, Collin," she said. "William was my brother too."_

_"Rebecca-!" Collin interrupted._

_"What do you need, Collin?" Rebecca demanded, her voice rising above his. "Some time alone? Tell me what you need and I'll do my best."_

_"I need another brother," Collin grumbled solemnly._

_"Collin…"_

_"Fine, you're right. I don't need another brother, I need another father."_

_"Collin, what are you-"_

_"You know as well as I that our father expects me to live up to William!" Collin cried. "But I'm not like William. I can't lead businesses or take charge of people or be the 'perfect son' that our father wants. That was William's job." Rebecca was silent for some time._

_Then she said, "Collin… I think people will begin to follow you because William is gone. Even if you are nothing like William. And I'll try and speak with our father and see if I can have him talk to you. I mean, he's your _father_, perhaps you misunderstand his wishes."_

_"Don't," Collin said quickly. "Don't you say a word to him about me." Again, Rebecca was silent. When it was evident that Collin wasn't going to say anything further, she sighed, got to her feet and began to walk away. Then she stopped and glanced back at Collin._

_"Take care, Collin," she said, giving him a firm nod. He watched her walk away, his eyes becoming both remorseful and bitter.

* * *

_

"Amelia!" a voice cried. Amelia looked up and saw Beth walking towards her, Mathew at her side. Glancing behind her to make sure Emma was still following, she approached Beth. "Back already, I see. Did you find anyone?"

"Did you really expect us to?" Sheer annoyance drove Amelia to say it, though she knew that it must be natural for Beth to be hopeful.

"So that's a 'no' then?" Beth confirmed, the hope draining from her face.

"Yes, but I think we may have found a friend. He's over one hundred feet tall and feeds on humans, but hell, I don't discriminate against height-challenged relationships." Amelia glanced down and noticed Mathew. "Speaking of height-challenged…"

Beth, who didn't approve of Amelia's comment, but didn't want to start an argument said, "The poor little guy hasn't said a word all day."

"Oh, is that so?" Amelia said, making the funniest face and turning to Emma. "It's a match made in heaven, Kid!" The shock had finally worn off and Emma gave Amelia an indignant glare. Amelia grinned before turning back to Beth. Then she frowned. "Where's Giles?"

"Oh, he went off to find Todd. You see, we hadn't seen Todd all morning and we were afraid something might have happened to him. So Giles went off to find him."

"Well he shouldn't have," Amelia responded. "We'll be lucky if something happens to Todd."

"Amelia!" Beth reprimanded quietly, unable to hold it back.

"Oh, come on. We both know that there are some people on the island that we just don't need."

"Like you!" Mathew cried suddenly.

"He speaks!" Amelia glanced back at Emma and with a shrug said, "Sorry 'bout your luck." Emma sighed and rolled her eyes. Amelia smiled for a brief second before she saw Cliff approaching.

"Hello, Beth," Cliff greeted, smiling pleasantly.

"So where's Hitler?" Amelia interrupted.

"Collin's spending some time on his own for a bit. He's a bit upset." At this, Amelia became enraged.

"_He's_ upset?" she cried. "The last time I checked, _he_ wasn't the one who was chased by a monster!"

"So what exactly happened when you encountered this… monster?" Cliff inquired. Amelia's eyes grew dark.

"You don't believe us."

"I do believe you. It's just hard for me to tell what went on when all you say is that it chased you."

"Well, that's basically all it did," Amelia insisted. "The ground started shaking and there was some kind of mechanical roar… And then Kid ran off and I chased after her and then the trees started moving and when it all died down, we ran back to the beach."

"Then how do you know it wanted to eat you?" Cliff chuckled. Amelia's face was as serious as death.

With grave conviction, she said, "If you were there, you would know."

* * *

Collin stormed through the jungle. "A monster," he said to himself angrily. "What rubbish! She's only trying to cover up for her own uselessness!" As Collin thought of the word "uselessness" he was struck with a painful memory…

* * *

_"Collin! Get back here!" Collin glanced back and scowled when he saw it was his father. _

_"What do you want?"_

_"God damn it, Collin, you _are_ a bloody fool, aren't you?" his father shouted. Collin stopped as his father caught up. "Well, that was a terrific riot you started, wasn't it!" His father's voice was dripping with sarcasm._

_"I told you not to make me lead that meeting!" Collin cried._

_"Oh, please! You didn't even try!"_

_"I did try! I just can't do things like this, alright?! I'm not-"_

_"William?" his father interrupted. "Yes, your sister told me about your concerns about living up to his name." _

_"Damn it, I told her not to!"_

_"Well, I'm glad she did because you're wrong. I do not expect you to live up to William." This took Collin by surprise. He stared for a moment._

_"You don't?"_

_"Of course not. The simple fact of the matter is that William was the successor and you are the failure. You could never be him, and you're not going to do anything here. You're for show." Collin felt numb. He mentally slapped himself for not expecting the insult. "You aren't here to do anything but keep the bloodline running in this company."_

_Collin suddenly felt a rage in his heart that he had never felt before. "Why does this company need your bloodline?!" he cried. "Why couldn't you have just let me do what I've wanted to do all these years? I was never in to business or politics! I wanted to go into the medical field like Rebecca! I work well with animals; I could have become a vet!"_

_"A vet is no living, Collin."_

_"Say that to the bills I'm paying for my hound."_

_"Collin, you're here now, so there really is no turning back," his father insisted._

_"And I wish I'd never gone this far!" Collin shouted. Then they were both silent. Collin's father was regarding him and Collin was stubbornly trying to avoid his gaze._

_Then his father said, "Collin… You will live a life of luxury while in this company and you won't have to do a bloody thing. All you have to do, really, is come to these meetings and act as though you are in these corporate affairs."_

_"And I don't even know how to do that," Collin grumbled._

_"And so I'll teach you… Collin, I have everyone I could possibly need and more to make it look like you're doing a fine job leading this company. Perhaps even better than your brother, for he left with some excellent, unsaid ideas that he has now passed on to me. You just need to act the role of the leader."_

_"And what if I fail?" Collin demanded. His father stepped closer to him, now with a somewhat threatening air. _

_"Then prepare to fall like great Caesar fell when he was betrayed," his father warned. Collin watched as his father swiftly turned and walked into the elevator. He gave Collin a slow and firm nod… which Collin reluctantly sent back…

* * *

_

Collin let a bitter sigh escape his lips. However, when a sudden rumble was both heard and felt, Collin froze. Without moving an inch, his eyes scanned the dense jungle. His whole body tensed; every muscle from head to toe clenching up. Breaths coming out short and quick from his flaring nostrils, he warily and hesitantly inched a foot forward. And then…

_BOOM!_ The sound came so abruptly that Collin flinched and nearly cried out in surprise. Then he threw himself forward, adrenaline pounding in his ears. The ground began shaking and the trees around Collin began to shake as well. Collin skidded to a halt and looked around him helplessly.

And before Collin could make sense of what it was, trail of black smoke suddenly shot towards him. He ducked just in time as it passed. But the smoke continued on, as if unaware that it had nearly struck Collin. Collin stared after it in wide-eyed horror.

* * *

It was nightfall, and Todd and Giles still hadn't returned. Everyone seemed very worried. Everyone except for Amelia, that is. Cliff eventually gave up watching for them and sat across from Amelia, the crackling fire sitting between them. "Aren't you even a little worried?" Cliff questioned. 

"Nope. They'll be fine. At least, Giles will."

"How do you know?"

"Giles is one of those guys… He's the kind of guy that everyone knows will survive. He's very nonchalant, but he's strong and can be assertive when he needs to be. Trust me, I can read people like books."

"Sometimes they're more complex than you think," Cliff pointed out.

"Sometimes," Amelia replied simply. The air outside the proximity of the fire was becoming cooler as the night progressed. The waves were low and calming. Beth and Mathew had gone to bed, exhausted from the heat and sun that they had received throughout the day. Emma sat off on her own, reading a book she had found from the wreckage.

Eventually, becoming bored, Cliff asked, "So, do you have any family? You know… back home."

"Well, my parents are dead. Mom got cancer and dad was shot on duty; he was a cop. Who knows where my older brother went off to and my younger brother still contacts me from time to time."

"What about a husband? Kids?" Cliff pressed on, trying to start a conversation. Amelia hesitated and was reluctant to answer. But she had a strange feeling that Cliff was a good-listener, and was used to listening to people's problems.

"I had a fiancé at one point… He died in a car crash. And… and I almost had a child. But it died while inside me. It never got to see the world, not even once." There was a bitter remorse in Amelia's voice. But, remembering herself, she cleared her throat and cast the memories away. "What about you?"

"No," Cliff answered. "No, I never had a wife. Or kids."

In a situation like this, one would normally say something like, "That must have been so lonely." But Amelia had been faced with loneliness a lot in her life, and so to her it was a natural feeling. Therefore, she did nothing but give him a nod. Exhaustion seemed to get the best of them, for their shoulders slumped and they were silent for quite a while.

But when they heard something in the jungle, coming their way, they immediately sprang to their feet, preparing for yet another conflict. "Giles?" Cliff called. "Todd?" To their surprise it was Collin that stepped out from the trees, breathing heavily. "Collin! I had been wondering when you would come back."

Collin numbly nodded, his eyes wide. He looked like he'd seen a ghost. "I think I've had enough time on my own," he stated.

"Well what happened while you were out there? Cliff inquired.

"What happened?" Collin repeated, obviously in shock.

"Yes, Collin," Cliff persisted. "You look like you've seen a ghost." Collin suddenly turned to Amelia.

"I saw your monster!" he cried. A grin full of satisfaction spread upon her lips.

"Are you sure?" she asked him sarcastically. "I may have been hallucinating, you know."

"Enough!" Collin cried. "I get it! I'm sorry! I'm sorry to both you and Emma. So it is real. So we live on a god-forsaken island with a monster! Now what?"

"Now we know what we're up against," Amelia said. "Now we can try to find our feet and live on this damn island."

"Speaking of which," Cliff spoke up, remembering what he and Collin had found earlier, "we found a stream. It's not too far from here and it will be a perfect place to live. We'll need all the fresh water we can get."

"Good," Amelia said with a nod, and for what seemed to be the first time since they'd arrived on the island, Amelia wasn't being sarcastic. She gave a small smile. "That's very good."

* * *

**Yay!! Another chapter done .. :)**

**Review please!**


	6. Mistrust

**Ahh! So sorry for not updating in like a month. Got caught up with family issues and didn't really have the time to write. The next update will hopefully be quicker. Reviews might help that quickness. ;) Thanks for your patience.**

**-Silver and White**

* * *

TotallyLost: Hope I didn't get you too worried! Haha thanks for the review :) 

SupernaturalKnight88: Well, I said they were original characters, didn't I:) Thanks for the review!

* * *

Mistrust

Waves crashed onto the smooth, sandy shore, but were only a dull roar to the ears of the survivors. Everyone slept under the beautifully glittering stars on the night sky, like tiny jewels on a velvet black blanket. Off on her own, Emma slept on a blanket, using her jacket as a pillow. The soft breeze wafting from the ocean gently stroked her hair, and to anyone that looked, it would seem like Emma was sleeping peacefully, with sweet dreams. But everyone knows that things aren't always as they appear…

* * *

_Emma looked up when she heard someone knocking on her bedroom window. Emma smiled when she saw who it was and opened the window. A slender girl, about Emma's age, climbed into the room. Her eyes were a stunning green and her hair was such a dark brown that at first glance, someone might mistake it for black. The girl, Tammy, smiled pleasantly and closed the window once she got in._

_"I didn't expect you to come this late," Emma said, giving Tammy a brief "hello" kiss. Tammy shrugged._

_"Well you know my family… we're like night owls." Emma laughed and nodded._

_"Well, I'm glad you could come. I was bored out of my mind before you got here." Tammy gave her a small smile and then glanced over to Emma's bed. She nodded to the heavy textbook sitting on top of it._

_"Biology?" she inquired. Emma heaved a sigh and nodded. _

_"Ms. Brown is a bitch," Emma stated. "She gives us way too much homework." Tammy laughed._

_"That's why I never even bother with it. Besides, if I want to become a writer, biology really isn't necessary. My mom doesn't agree though. I mean, you saw how severely she grounded me last time. You're lucky your dad's always too doped up to care."_

_"I wouldn't really call it lucky," Emma said grimly. Tammy mentally slapped herself, realizing she'd hit a sore spot. _

_"Yeah, sorry babe… But hey, make the best out of a bad situation, right?" Smiling a little, Emma nodded. Tammy smiled back and then walked over to Emma and sat beside her. Then she wrapped her arms around Emma and Emma gratefully sank into the warmth and comfort. She lightly closed her eyes, smiling. Emma had always thought it felt so nice to be held by Tammy._

_This moment was interrupted, however, when they heard footsteps coming up the stairs. Emma, dismayed, pulled out of Tammy's grasp and opened the window. Tammy didn't look very happy to go. "Isn't this a night with 'the boys'?" she asked. "He'll probably be so high that he might not even recognize me."_

_"No," Emma shook her head. "He knows you. Even when he's high, he recognizes you. I'll see you tomorrow at school." Tammy sighed and flung herself to the window. _

_"You'd think he'd be too messed up to care about this," she said as she climbed out. "I mean, with all the heavy duty he's doing." Emma gave Tammy a semi-rushed kiss and an apologetic look and then Tammy descended down the latter, vanishing into the night. Emma watched her go gloomily and then turned to the door as her father walked in. His eyes were blood-shot and Emma knew he was already doped up on drugs._

_"Who the hell was that?" he asked, his speech slightly struggling. _

_"No one," Emma lied, thinking quickly. "It was getting kinda stuffy in here, I needed some air. So I opened the window."_

_"Well, close it," her father ordered, rubbing his forehead roughly. Emma did as she was told. "My buddies are here tonight. So you know the drill. Stay up here in your room and you can come back down in the morning." Emma nodded but then realized she had to pee. Badly._

_"Yeah, but um… I need to use the bathroom first." To emphasize her urgency, she crossed her legs. Her dad laughed._

_"Alright, but hurry. Can't keep them waiting too long." She nodded quickly, but before she went out she turned to him with a somewhat cautious approach._

_"Hey… I know you've talked about quitting. And if you really want to, I know a variety of groups that would help you. The guidance councilor at school told us all about them."_

_"Hey, hey, hey!" her dad said suddenly. Emma stopped speaking and looked up at him, again cautiously. She didn't want to make him feel forced into it, that wouldn't help at all. But she still wanted him to find help. "Now, I know we've talked about this Emma, but I will find help on my own. You haven't been telling anyone about this, have you?"_

_Emma thought of Tammy, but she shook her head. "No."_

_"Good," he replied. He sighed and looked her in the eyes one last time before leaving her bedroom. She did the same, heading for the bathroom. As she began to close the door to it, her father turned to her abruptedly. "Oh," he said, somewhat sternly, "by the way, you aren't still hanging around with that dyke anymore, are you?"_

_Emma's mind flamed and her eyes flashed with anger in defense for her girlfriend, but her dad didn't notice. "No," Emma lied, trying not to let the anger slip into her voice. Her dad nodded._

_"Good."

* * *

_

Emma slowly opened her eyes. She blinked slowly, confusion swamping her half-asleep mind. Then the confusion slowly subsided and she sat up, remembering where she was. She yawned and sat up, letting the moonlight swamp her vision. Tiredly shaking her head, she wondered why her memories appeared in her dreams. And most of all, she wondered why she dreamt of that particular memory.

Blinking some more, she stared ahead, trying to let her eyes adjust to the darkness of the night. She yawned again and gently bent down to scoop a handful of cool sand. It slipped past her fingers gracefully, softly falling back onto the ground. It was a calm, peaceful night. So when there was a scream from the jungle, it was even more startling than one might expect.

Emma's head snapped in the direction of the jungle, her eyes growing hard and wary with fearful instinct. At first, she sat frozen where she was, too afraid to move. But when she saw Amelia and Collin rush into the jungle, she hurriedly stood up and chased after them, kicking up sand as she ran.

Amelia, who heard someone behind them, stopped and glanced back. "Stay there!" she ordered. Emma skidded to a halt, slightly shocked because Amelia's words were forceful and she hadn't expected them. Amelia then ran after Collin into the jungle. When they reached the source of the scream, it was too late. Cliff and Giles came up to them, panting from exhaustion.

"Giles!" Collin cried. "Where have you been!"

"Got held up," Giles breathed shortly. "_They_ came when I found Todd. They said they weren't going to hurt us but then they were trying to kidnap us."

"Wait, Giles, who's they?" Amelia demanded, baffled by what was happening.

"There are other people on the island, Amelia," Cliff answered while Giles caught his breath. "They were here before us. And they're hostile. They just took Beth and Mathew. Beth was the one that screamed." Before anyone could say anymore, Amelia suddenly reached behind her and pulled out a gun. She didn't aim it at anyone, but the way everyone reacted, one would think she'd shot someone.

They stared at her in shock and disbelief. "Where did they go?" Amelia demanded, her voice as cold as ice.

"Where did you get that gun, Amelia?" Collin asked slowly, staring at the gun with wide eyes. Amelia grew angry with the fact that he was inquiring about the gun at a time when people had been abducted, but when she glanced back at him and saw Emma standing behind him, she froze.

Emma wasn't looking at Amelia like the others were. She didn't seem startled or afraid. In fact, she was looking at Amelia almost curiously and with a regarding look. Amelia stared at her for a moment. Then she said, "I told you to stay where you were." Emma held her gaze for a few more seconds before turning and walking back onto the beach.

"Amelia, where did you-"

"Where did they fucking go?" Amelia shouted, cutting off Collin. Giles pointed straight ahead.

"They went that way as far as we could see, but I doubt we'll be able to catch them-"

"We can try," Amelia interrupted. "And we can find out who the hell these other people are." Then she stopped and frowned. "Wait, where's Todd?" Cliff and Giles glanced at one another and then gestured down to the ground. On the ground, Todd lied unconscious with a bloody, swollen wound on his head.

* * *

"What do you mean they have skills?" Amelia cried with frustration as the group of survivors ran through the jungle. 

"Exactly what I said," Giles replied. "These people have some fucking skills! They're fast, they're sneaky, they're strong, and goddamn it they're smart!"

"And from what I've heard and seen, they out number us," Cliff added. "Are you sure Todd will be okay? Maybe we shouldn't have left him alone on the beach."

"He'll be fine," Amelia said passively. "They all went this way. Besides, they wouldn't want him anyway."

"So now let's get back to talking about that gun," Collin said as they ran, glaring at Amelia. She glared back.

"Why? Want one?"

"Oh, would you stop with that? Be bloody serious for once!"

"If you were half as serious as you want me to be," Amelia retorted, "then you might work on the task at hand instead of worrying about this gun. I mean, I haven't aimed it at any of you, have I?"

"That doesn't give you the right to own it," Collin growled. "Not to mention, keep it a secret from the rest of us."

"Just shut up, alright!" Amelia shouted. "You'll get over it! We can discuss the gun later." Collin scowled but then faced forward and ran faster. Amelia slowed a bit and glanced back. "Hurry up, Kid! If you get left behind, they might take you too."

Emma sighed, and despite her aching muscles, she pushed forward and ran faster. Her lungs felt as though they were on fire. She wasn't used to running like this, but she knew the situation was urgent, so she pressed onward and did her best. When she was close enough to the group, Amelia turned back around. Emma stayed at the back, occupied in her own memories…

* * *

_Emma yawned as Ms. Brown rambled on about what seemed like nothing. Sighing with boredom, Emma put her head on her desk. The kid in front of her, Mike, passed a note back to her. It almost made Emma laugh at how old school passing notes was. She opened the note and smiled with mild amusement. The note said, "Hoe," in big bold letters. _

_Mike and Emma were friends but they had an odd friendship, in the way that they would constantly call each other names. Emma wrote, "Skank," on the note and then passed it back to Mike. After Mike read it, he turned around and mouthed, "So?" Emma had to force herself not to laugh._

_Then two men in suits walked in the classroom and a hush fell upon the students. They whispered some words into Ms. Brown's ear and she nodded and pointed to Emma. Emma's face went pale and Mike sent her a confused look. She shrugged back and stood up to follow the men. Her classmates began murmuring and a few of the annoying students made a long "_oooh_ sound", like a first-grader would. _

_When Emma was in the hall, finally alone with the two men, one of the men said, "Emma, you're going to need to come to the station with us. Your father's in some trouble. Drug-related." Emma's face went pale. She numbly followed the men as they escorted her to the cop car. _

_"Is he going to be okay?" Emma asked them as they drove toward the station._

_"I don't think so, Emma," one of the cops answered. "I'm sorry." When they finally reached the police station, Emma was defeated in her thoughts. She was sure that she was going to tell the police everything. She knew it was betrayal, but what else could she do? As she was walking down the hall, however, she saw her father, and when she saw her too, everything was turned upside down._

_"Don't tell them anything, Emma!" her father cried, rage in his red face. "You better not tell them a single thing! You know why your mother left us? It was because of you! She didn't want to raise you! Don't make me leave you too!" The police hurriedly tried to escort him away, but he struggled against their grasp. "Don't you say a word, Emma! Don't you say a goddamn word!"_

_Emma stood there, unable to tune out his words. She was shaking, torn with indecision. When the police finally took him away and escorted her into a room for questioning, her mind was made up. She sat across from the other men and barely even glanced at them._

_"So you know about your father's drugs, right Emma?" one of the men said. Emma was silent. "You must know some of the people he 'worked' with then, right?" Still, Emma didn't say a word. "Emma, you know he's done some bad things while under the influence, don't you?"_

_When Emma was persistent in her silence, the man finally gave an angry sigh, growing impatient. "Emma, he can't hurt you. All the things he said back there… they aren't true. Come on, talk with us." Emma lifted her eyes slightly but said nothing. Finally, defeated, he gestured for the other man to bring someone in. Emma's heart fluttered and her eyes brightened when she saw Tammy walk in._

_Tammy sat herself across from Emma and Emma straightened in her own seat, becoming fully alert. "Emma, I saw them come this morning," Tammy choked, practically in tears. "I missed the bus, and I saw them come a few minutes after you left. I saw them arrest your dad." Emma stared, feeling helpless. When Emma said nothing, Tammy grew both confused and concerned._

_"She isn't saying anything," the man told Tammy. Tammy leaned over the table, taking Emma's hand._

_"Emma, baby, talk to me," she pleaded, her eyes welling up with tears. "If you don't make a statement for yourself, they'll put you in foster care. And I can't-" Tammy broke off, finding it too painful. "And I don't want to lose you… Tell them everything they want to know. Tell them you can stay here with me."_

_Emma's heart was reaching out for Tammy, and her mind was a conflicting mess. A part of her wanted to tell them everything and to run into Tammy's arms. Another part was telling her to keep quiet. Nothing could happen if she was silent. When Emma still said nothing, Tammy let the tears roll freely down her cheeks. The men eventually escorted her out. It was the last time Emma ever saw Tammy…

* * *

_

Emma looked up as the group came to a halt. "Shh," Amelia hushed the others. "Do you hear that?" The others listened and then nodded when they heard something moving a few yards ahead of them. Amelia silently gestured for Cliff and Collin to follow. Giles and Emma stood there in silence.

Giles glanced back at Emma and wondered if he should say something but realized that she wouldn't answer to anything so he didn't say anything to her. Instead, he spoke to himself. "Why does this island gotta be so fuckin' weird? I mean, come on now, being stranded is enough."

As he continued to rant, Emma thought she heard something behind her. She glanced back, saw nothing and then ignored the suspicion. Giles finally sighed and looked in the direction that Amelia, Cliff, and Collin had run in. "Shit, I need some action," Giles continued, quite unaware of the horror what was happening behind him. "I wanna fight these island people too. Man, if I had that gun-"

Giles was cut off by Emma's muffled scream. He whirled around to see some stranger dragging Emma away. Emma was resisting desperately, but the man dragging her, overpowered her. Giles sprang after them and once he reached them, he punched the man square in the face. The man fell back in surprise and Emma flung herself away from him. She stood and turned, watching helplessly as the two men tackled each other on the ground.

Giles, who realized he had enough action already, matched the other man's strength so it was a fair and interesting fight. As the fight carried on however, Giles began to fear for his safety because the fight grew increasingly ugly. Then Amelia, Cliff, and Collin came rushing to the rescue. Giles watched as they ran toward him and the other man and he thought how funny it looked to see the trio working together like that. It was as if they were super heroes from a cartoon.

As soon as Amelia reached them, she lifted the gun and pointed it at the other man's chest. Collin quickly and boldly pushed the gun down and stepped in front of Amelia. "Are you insane?" he cried. The man seemed baffled by these turn of events and Giles seized the opportunity to pin him down. When Giles looked back up, he realized that the "cartoon" wasn't very cartoon-like anymore.

"He's one of the people that kidnapped Beth and Mathew!" Amelia screamed in Collin's face. "He now just tried to kidnap Emma! It'll serve him right if he's shot!"

"We could question him, Amelia!" Collin yelled back. "You overreact too much! We could use him to get answers about this island of hell!" Amelia glared into his eyes and he glared back. Then Amelia glanced down at the man and reluctantly gave in.

"Fine," she said simply. "But if he escapes, _you_ will be the one to pay." Collin just scowled at her as she walked away from him, not intimidated by her threat but knowing that he should be. Amelia stepped closer to Giles and the other man and looked down curiously. Then she looked back up at Giles. "Ever knock a man unconscious?"

Giles grinned at the rather funny memory of him making his brother black out and nodded. He grabbed a broken branch that looked an awful lot like a club and whacked the man straight down on the head. The man's head bobbed slightly and then dropped, falling unconscious. Amelia smiled, somewhat pleased. Then she turned to the rest of the group.

"Let's bring him back to the beach," she instructed.

"But what about the stream we found?" Cliff questioned. "Shouldn't we bring him there? We should begin to live there now."

"Only one problem," Amelia replied. "Hillbilly's still on the beach." It dawned on the group that Todd was indeed lying unconscious on the beach, where they left him. They all started heading back, Giles and Collin carrying the man. Cliff glanced back at Emma. She seemed troubled.

_Then again_, Cliff thought, _she_ was _just almost kidnapped_. "Are you alright," he asked her. She looked up and when she saw him, she nodded. Amelia stopped and looked back at Emma as well.

When Emma didn't move, Amelia, in a slightly soft voice, said, "Come on, Kid." Emma looked over at Amelia and something in Emma's eyes told Amelia that she was glad Amelia was kind of looking after her. Emma trotted over and walked a little ahead of Amelia. As the group carried on, Amelia stared at the unconscious man being carried, wondering what the hell kind of island they were on.

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**Reviewing is nice! ... :)**

**-Silver and White**


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